Picture-Perfect STEM Lesson Plans

Children's Book Packs

By: Karen Ansberry & Emily Morgan

Authors of the Award Winning NSTA Press Picture-Perfect STEM Series

Engage children in reading and science through lessons & picture books

Picture-Perfect Science Lessons delivers the whole package:

Teacher-friendly lessons

Strong standards-based science content

Engross students in science while they improve their reading skills

K

Kindergarten Book Packs

Each pack includes a custom printed Lesson Booklet & 2 accompanying Picture Books

Animal Architects

Students explore the phenomenon of squirrels changing their environment to meet their needs by burying seeds. They add to their understanding by reading a nonfiction book and watching videos to learn how other animals, such as gopher tortoises and beavers, engineer structures that affect their environment. They are then challenged to create a paper collage to illustrate the idea that animals can change their environment to meet their needs.

The following picture books:

Squirrels Leap, Squirrels Sleep
We Build Our Homes

Be a Friend to Trees

Learners explore the phenomenon that many things they use every day come from trees. They learn the importance of trees as sources of food, shelter, and oxygen for people and animals, and ways to conserve trees.

The following picture books:

Be a Friend to Trees
Our Tree Named Steve

Design a Habitat

After reading a picture book about a boy who is begging his mom for a pet iguana, students explore the phenomenon of different kinds of animals living in different places on Earth. They learn about the needs of living things and the diverse habitats that meet those needs. Engineering design comes into play when students apply their knowledge about the needs of animals by designing and building a model habitat for an imaginary pet of their own.

The following picture books:

I Wanna Iguana
Where Do Animals Live?

Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow?

Learners explore the phenomenon that some things grow (like people, cats, and snakes) and other things do not grow (like chairs, hats, and cakes). They learn the difference between living and nonliving things and what living things need to survive.

The following picture books:

Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow?
What’s Alive?

Feel the Heat

Students explore the phenomenon of temperature difference between sun and shade on a surface on the school grounds. They carry out an investigation of temperatures of surfaces around their school in the sun and in the shade to see if shady surfaces are cooler than surfaces that are in the sun. Then, they design, build, and test physical models of shade structures that could provide a place to stay cool on the playground.

The following picture books:

Summer Sun Risin’
Sun and Shade

Move It!

Students explore the phenomena of a toy car on a ramp speeding up, slowing down, and stopping. They read a nonfiction book about forces and explore how pushes and pulls can change motion. Then, they apply their knowledge to complete a design challenge: getting a toy dog (named Newton) into his doghouse!

The following picture books:

Move It! Motion, Forces and You
Newton and Me

Soccer Science

Students explore the phenomenon of how soccer players get a soccer ball to go where they want it to go. They read a nonfiction book about motion and observe and describe patterns of forces and motion (e.g., the harder you kick, the faster the ball goes). Then, they apply their understandings about forces and motion to design a game that uses pushes and pulls.

The following picture books:

Little Soccer
Oscar and the Cricket: A Book About Moving and Rolling

Sunshine on My Shoulders

Learners observe the phenomenon of “mystery bead” bracelets changing colors when they go outdoors and conduct simple investigations to find out what makes the beads change color. They discover that invisible rays of ultraviolet (UV) light cause the beads to change color. They learn about the benefits of the Sun, as well as the harmful effects of too much sunlight on their skin, and they test the effectiveness of sunscreen on UV beads. Finally, learners create a sun safety poster.

The following picture books:

Sunshine on My Shoulders
Sun

The Handiest Things

Students explore the idea that a variety of technologies—from chopsticks to calculators—solve problems in our everyday lives. They learn that all technologies have various parts that work together to solve a problem, and then they brainstorm some new parts to improve an invention they use every day—a backpack.

The following picture books:

The Handiest Things in the World
Engineering in Our Everyday Lives

The Perfect Day for a Picnic

Learners explore the phenomenon of weather changing throughout a week (and even throughout a day), beginning with a funny read-aloud about a picnic that unexpectedly gets rained out. They keep track of weather conditions in their area for a week in order to look for patterns. Then, they read a nonfiction book and watch a video about the importance of weather forecasting, especially in severe weather. They apply their understandings by viewing a local weather forecast and discussing how they can prepare for the upcoming weather. Finally, they read a fictional forecast and apply their understandings to decide which day would be the “perfect day for a picnic!”

The following picture books:

Pignic
Weather Near You

1 Grade 1 Book Packs

Each pack includes a custom printed Lesson Booklet & 2 accompanying Picture Books

Animal Teachers

Students begin by exploring the phenomenon of a mother sea otter interacting with her pup. Through texts, videos, and discussion of sea otters as well as emperor penguins, sea turtles, and a variety of other animals, students identify patterns in the behaviors of both parents and offspring that help offspring survive. They elaborate on this idea by playing a game to model how penguin chicks and their parents use vocalizations to find each other within large groups.

The following picture books:

Animal Teachers
Pup the Sea Otter

Get the Message

Students read a tall tale featuring the invention of the electric telegraph, learn how to decipher Morse code, and explore the influence of the telegraph and various other communication innovations over time. Then they design a solution that uses sound or light to communicate over a distance and compare the strengths and weaknesses of each.

The following picture books:

Jackrabbit McCabe and the Electric Telegraph
Communication: Long Ago and Today

Let’s Drum

After reading an inspiring true story about a young female drummer, students explore the phenomenon that different kinds of drums make different sounds. They learn about the basic parts of a drum, how drums make sound, and that repeated sound patterns are called rhythms. Students design and build their own drums out of everyday items, explain how they make sound, and create their own rhythms using their handmade drums.

The following picture books:

Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl’s Courage Changed Music
Drum City

Mirror, Mirror

Learners explore the phenomenon of seeing their reflections in some objects but not others. They learn that mirrors are the best objects for seeing themselves because they are shiny and flat. Then they explore how to redirect a light beam using flashlights and mirrors.

The following picture books:

What Did They See?
I See Myself

Moon Patterns

Learners explore the phenomenon that the Moon’s appearance changes throughout a month. After reading a fiction book that depicts the Moon phases, they study Moon calendars and describe the shapes and pattern they observe. After reading a nonfiction book and creating a tool to remember the pattern, they predict the next phases on a Moon calendar.

The following picture books:

A Moon of My Own
Next Time You See the Moon

Nature Did It First

In this lesson, students discover that burrs stick to animal fur using tiny hooks, and they learn that Velcro was designed to mimic the way a burr works. Then students use the practice of biomimicry to design a solution to a problem: nature-inspired clothing that can help meet the needs of humans.

The following picture books:

Nature Did it First: Engineering Through Biomimicry
Clothing Inspired by Nature

No Two Alike

Students explore the phenomenon that although bird species can be identified by certain traits, no two birds are exactly alike. After a read-aloud about bird watching, students set up a bird feeder station so they can observe local birds. They use a poster to identify the birds they see, read an article about similarities and differences within bird species, and listen to a story about two birds that are almost, but not quite, the same. Finally, they create a “spot the difference” picture showing two birds of the same species that are almost identical but have a slight variation in traits.

The following picture books:

No Two Alike
Ruby’s Birds

Pillbots

Students explore the phenomenon that although bird species can be identified by certain traits, no two birds are exactly alike. After a read-aloud about bird watching, students set up a bird feeder station so they can observe local birds. They use a poster to identify the birds they see, read an article about similarities and differences within bird species, and listen to a story about two birds that are almost, but not quite, the same. Finally, they create a “spot the difference” picture showing two birds of the same species that are almost identical but have a slight variation in traits.

The following picture books:

Next Time You See a Pill Bug
National Geographic Kids: Robots

Robots Everywhere

After sharing what they know about different types of robots, students model how robots are programmed to perform tasks. They learn that every robot is designed for a specific job, and that job determines what a robot looks like. They also design a solution to a simple problem by creating a labeled drawing of a robot that could complete a particular task in their own home or at school.

The following picture books:

Beep! Beep! Go to Sleep!
National Geographic Kids: Robots

Shadow Play

Students explore the phenomenon of shadows. They listen to a classic poem about shadows, create shadows with flashlights and figurines, and change shadows by moving a light source. They read a nonfiction book that explains how shadows are made and then test different materials to see which would be best for making shadow puppets.

The following picture books:

My Shadow
How Are Shadows and Reflections Made?

Stargazers

Beginning with a fascinating biography of astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, learners are introduced to the beauty of looking up in wonder at the night sky. They explore the phenomenon that stars are visible at night but not during the day using a model. They also observe the phenomenon of constellations moving across the night sky. Finally, they create a lift-the-flap book sharing what they learned about stars.

The following picture books:

Look Up With Me: Neil deGrasse Tyson: A Life Among the Stars
Jump Into Science: Stars

2 Grade 2 Book Packs

Each pack includes a custom printed Lesson Booklet & 2 accompanying Picture Books

Build It!

Children love to build. In this lesson, they use their creativity to build structures out of everyday materials. Next, they are introduced to a variety of iconic buildings and learn about the architects who designed them. Finally, students design and build architectural models of some of these famous structures.

The following picture books:

Iggy Peck, Architect
Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building

Crayons

Crayons provide a fun and familiar context for learning about science and engineering. Students observe the phenomenon that crayons can be changed in many ways (breaking, melting, and cooling) and learn the many steps involved in manufacturing crayons. After designing their own process for recycling broken crayons, they demonstrate their understanding through a creative writing activity.

The following picture books:

The Day the Crayons Came Home
The Crayon Man: The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons

Flight of the Pollinators

Students are introduced to the phenomenon that certain kinds of flowers are visited by certain kinds of animals. They dissect flowers to investigate what the animals are searching for inside the flowers and learn how both plants and animals benefit from the process of pollination. Finally, students develop a simple model that mimics a pollinator and use it to demonstrate plant pollination.

The following picture books:

Flowers Are Calling
What is Pollination?

How Big Is A Foot?

Learners explore the history of measurement from the ancient Egyptian use of nonstandard units to the modern-day metric system. They learn why standard measuring tools are useful and that their development was a problem-solving process that took centuries.

The following picture books:

How Big Is a Foot?
How Tall, How Short, How Faraway?

If You Find a Rock

Learners observe the phenomenon that there are many different kinds of rocks with different properties. They observe, describe, and sort a variety of rocks and are introduced to various ways that rocks form. Then they explore different uses of rocks based on their properties.

The following picture books:

If You Find a Rock
Rocks: Hard, Soft, Smooth, and Rough

Imaginative Inventions

Learners explore the properties of matter and the engineering design process as they learn about the invention of the Frisbee, test flying discs to compare the materials they are made of and the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs, analyze data from simple tests of other toys to compare their “fun” and “safe” ratings, and design a toy of their own.

The following picture books:

Imaginative Inventions
Flip! How the Frisbee Took Flight

Melting and Freezing

Frozen treats provide a fun, familiar phenomenon for learning about changes in matter. Through engaging read-alouds and some cool activities (pun intended) with Popsicles, students learn about liquids, solids, melting, and freezing.

The following picture books:

Melting and Freezing
The Boy Who Invented the Popsicle: The Cool Science Behind Epperson’s Famous Frozen Treat

Our Blue Planet

A famous photograph of Earth called “The Blue Marble” introduces the phenomenon that most of our planet is covered in water. By exploring with maps, globes, and satellite images of Earth and reading a book that shares names and descriptions of various bodies of water, students are able to identify both liquid and solid bodies of water (ice) on Earth. Students also use the Google Earth app to take virtual field trips to different places on the planet and to locate the bodies of water closest to their school.

The following picture books:

All the Water in the World
Earth’s Landforms and Bodies of Water

Science Mysteries

After reading a story about an extraordinary young scientist, students are engaged in solving a mystery that involves exploring properties of matter. Students conduct an investigation, use science practices to gather evidence, and use that evidence to support their claim about the identities of two mystery mixtures.

The following picture books:

Ada Twist, Scientist
Matter

Seeds on the Move

After observing the phenomenon of dandelion seeds being blown away by the wind, students investigate the various ways other plants disperse their seeds. They read about how wind and water help spread seeds, and they learn that some animals can even “plant” trees. Students take a “sock walk” in which they model one way that plants use animals to move their seeds around. Then they develop their own model that mimics an animal dispersing seeds.

The following picture books:

Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move
Who Will Plant a Tree?

That Magnetic Dog

Learners explore the phenomenon that some things are attracted to a magnet and others are not. They discover through exploration that not all metals are magnetic and communicate their findings in a poster session. Then they learn by reading a nonfiction book that magnets attract iron and iron-containing materials. Finally, they learn how different types of magnets are used for different purposes, and they design their own magnetic solution to a problem.

The following picture books:

That Magnetic Dog
Is It Magnetic or Nonmagnetic?

Wind and Water

Students explore the phenomenon that wind and water can change the shape of the land and remove soil. They explore natural solutions that can help control erosion, such as planting trees and grass, as well as technologies, such as building levees and installing erosion control fabric. Finally, they compare multiple solutions to an erosion problem and describe one that they think will be the best.

The following picture books:

Kate, Who Tamed the Wind
How Do Wind and Water Change Earth?

Picture-Perfect STEM Lesson Plans

By: Karen Ansberry & Emily Morgan

Engage children in reading and science through lessons & picture books

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K

Kindergarten Book Packs

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Grade 2 Book Packs